Treasure of the Gods
by Defeat Tastes Like Tomatoes
Summary: Jack is in a bad way. When a young painter named Dawn charters his ship for a voyage, he can't very well refuse her  or her gold.  Little does he know that the sea goddess Calypso takes issue with this painter's mission.
1. Chapter 1

I do not own Pirates of the Caribbean. Fic takes place after the fourth movie.

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><p>The sounds of waves crashing on the beach were constant in Nassau. Dawn hardly paid them any attention as she walked by the ocean, sketch book in hand.<p>

In the days since the Bindings, Dawn had made her immortal way across the world on her own; choosing not to stick with the other gods. Most of those sought protection from Zeus, though what protection he could offer was a mystery to Dawn. She established herself as a painter where ever she went. It was something she was good at, and she made a fair bit of money at it.

The only thing she never painted was a sunset. It hurt too much.

She should be painting a commission for a well-to-do woman who wanted to add a 'touch of civility to this pirate ridden, God-awful place.' The picture was of a ship on the sea.

Dawn had tried not to wince when her customer had used the singular God. Everyone did these days, but even after thousands of years it was still rather offensive.

The thin woman found a pretty violet flower and kneeled on the sand in front of it. After tucking a strand of her strawberry blonde, wavy hair behind her ear, she began to sketch.

She had needed to be outside, to stretch her legs. The painting was near completion anyway. It'd be done when the woman wanted it. She just couldn't stand her stuffy little room anymore in that dark, dank, mildew-smelling inn. And the innkeeper's wife kept nagging her. The simple woman hadn't liked Dawn's ideas of going outside without a hat or a parasol. "Ye'll darken that pretty pale skin of yers," she'd said.

Dawn couldn't tan, though. Her Seeming of a thin, pale woman with pale blue eyes and pale red hair was what she was Bound to. It couldn't change. Prisons weren't flexible.

After getting several angles of her violet flower, she continued on. Though she walked along the more respectable places of Nassau for the better part of an hour, she couldn't find anything else she wanted to sketch or paint.

She sighed and turned around, going back to the small inn she rented a room in. She wasn't ready to return yet, but there was nothing else she could do. Dawn walked into the inn and was immediately accosted by the innkeeper.

"Miss Olympus!" the large, balding man said in his sharp voice. "A visitor to see ye." He pointed to a table in the corner. "Says he's yer cousin."

Dawn looked over to the man in the corner. He was of average height and had the look of a fast runner. His hair was wavy and the color of sand, just long enough so that it fell in his eyes. Dawn's eyes widened when she saw him.

"Hermes?" she asked, rushing over. "Why are _you_ here? Usually, when the family has to talk to me, they write or send Iris."

Hermes didn't answer for a moment, but instead took a drink of whatever was in the tankard in front of him. "I hate sea voyages," he finally said.

Dawn sighed. "You always have."

"Well, I hate them more now that they're longer. Why do you have to live so bloody far away from the rest of us?" he asked, griping.

"Because," Dawn replied, not offering anything more specific. She didn't want to be another one of Zeus's wards. She hadn't lived with him during the glory days, and she won't live with him now.

But that explanation would offend every one of her relatives, especially the most powerful one. She kept her reasons to herself.

"Well, we're coming closer to you. Zeus has been offered the position of Governor of Port Royal, and he's decided to take it. Everyone's heading to that port, and I mean _everyone_. I've been sent here to ask you to do the same," Hermes explained.

Dawn snorted. "I refuse."

"I knew you would," Hermes said, smiling wryly. "Thanks for that, darling. Now Aphrodite owes me money."

"She always has hope for me, doesn't she?" Dawn asked, smiling slightly. Aphrodite was always hoping Dawn would see the light and become a "proper lady," as in get married and dress fashionably. Dawn never wore dresses. Instead she wore a skirt with only one layer and a white shirt. Sometimes she wore a vest if it was chilly or a bandana around her head if her waist-length hair was being stupid.

"You can't blame her, can you?" Hermes said. "Old habits die hard."

Dawn sighed and looked toward the east. "I know."

Hermes looked down into his tankard. "We all know."

"Is there anything else you wanted to discuss?" Dawn asked, if only to distract herself from her miseries.

"Zeus would like to commission a painting." As Hermes said it, pain showed in his eyes. Dawn's questions as to what caused it were answered when he continued. "He wants it to be of Olympus."

Olympus has been his home. It had been home to most of the gods, except for Dawn and a few others, including her best friend, the sea nymph Calypso. Those that had lived there all missed it with the same searing pain that Dawn felt for painting the sunrise.

She did not miss Olympus as they did, so it was easy for her to paint it. "I'll do it."

"Yes," Hermes said, looking into his tankard again, "but can you?"

"Yes. When does he want it?" Dawn said, confidently. It would be difficult, but she could do it.

"In six weeks time. You are to present it to him personally." Hermes told her, looking up from his tankard and into her sky blue eyes.

"Fat bloody chance," Dawn murmured.

"You will do this, Dawn. You must. I know you must, you know you must, so don't try to get out of it. Resistance against authority was never where you ruled anyway. I don't understand you."

Dawn shrugged. "You don't have to. Is that all?"

"I think so."

"Well, it bloody well better be. I have quite a few commissions you know," she said, getting up. "Good day."

Hermes merely nodded and stood. He paid for his drink and walked out, muttering about how much he hated sea voyages.

Belatedly, Dawn remembered to check her jewelry. She found her ear drops were missing. She ran outside but her cousin was long gone.

"Bloody hell," she said, cursing herself for not remembering that Hermes was the god of thieves.


	2. Chapter 2

I do not own Pirates of the Caribbean.

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><p>Dawn scowled as she hurried through the docks of Port Royal, her pack of things over her shoulder and the painting tucked to her side, wrapped in oiled cloth to protect it.<p>

The painting had been surprisingly difficult to create. Mt. Olympus was a finicky subject. It didn't like to be painted, even by a goddess. Dawn found she had to change certain details to get her sketch marks to stop fading away or rearranging themselves.

It turned out to be a beautiful painting, even if it wasn't entirely accurate. Dawn didn't want to give it to the Olympians. She didn't want to be in Port Royal either, about to go see Zeus.

Truthfully, Port Royal was a beautiful place. But it belonged to Zeus now, and that spoiled it.

She had always been disgusted with Zeus for not resisting more when the Bindings were happening. He said he could not resist the power of the Centre of the Earth, and he was right. No one could. But Dawn had tried. She'd nearly died trying.

For that, as well as her nearly successful attempt to steal the priceless gem, she was greatly respected. Dawn had been only a minor goddess before the Bindings, but her great, desperate attempts to free her fellow gods had elevated her position. The Olympians now honored her as one of their closest family members, they respected her, and they wanted to protect her.

Dawn didn't want their respect or protection. She wanted her freedom back, but she wasn't likely to get it anytime soon. After she was bound, the Centre of the Earth was whisked away and hidden. None of the gods knew where it was.

Her mood worsened as she saw the mansion. There was a great party going on. Of course there was. Dawn should have expected it. If there's one thing the gods are good at, it's throwing a party.

She walked around to the back. Goddess or not, she was dressed in her usual brown skirt and white shirt. To look nice, she'd added her worn brown leather vest and braided her hair. It would be considered incredibly self-important to go to the front door.

Dawn pounded on the servant's door. It was immediately opened. The butler looked flustered and disgusted as he saw her. "Yes?"

"My name is Dawn Olympus, a relative and a painter. The governor commissioned a painting. I'm delivering it." She half expected the butler to take the painting from her and present it to Zeus himself, but apparently he was expecting her.

"Miss Dawn?" He said, his eyes going up and down her body. Obviously she wasn't what he'd expected. "Wait inside."

Dawn walked a little ways inside and waited. It didn't take very long before two pairs of arms were suddenly hugging her very tightly. "Dawn!" They both cried as they squeezed the very life from her.

When the women stepped back and Dawn had taken a deep breath, she looked at who had greeted her so… warmly.

They were both stunning women, dressed in the latest fashions. One had shining golden hair and sparkling ocean blue eyes. The other had dark brown hair and rich green eyes.

"Hello Aphrodite," she said to the blonde. "Persephone," she said to the brunette. "How are you both?"

Persephone took Dawn's left arm and Aphrodite her right. They started to lead her down the hall, Persephone carrying her painting. "Oh, we're wonderful. The climate here agrees with us much more than England ever did," Aphrodite said.

Persephone nodded in agreement. "How are you, dear Dawn?"

"I'm-" Dawn found herself distracted by their grip. They were holding her tightly, as if they expected her to bolt. Which could only mean one thing. "No," she said, interrupting herself.

"No what?" Aphrodite asked, feigning innocence, but Dawn saw a glint of determination in her eyes.

"No, I will not consent to being stuffed into a costume like the ones you are wearing. I like my clothes."

"We're going to fix your hair too, dear," Persephone said, holding her still tighter. She looked at Aphrodite. "I told you."

Aphrodite sighed. "Well, one can always have hope."

"Let me go," Dawn said, glowering at them.

"Dear, that horrible scowl will freeze on your face if you don't stop," Persephone scolded. Dawn paid her no heed and started to struggle.

"Now, dear," Aphrodite said, as the reached a doorway, which Dawn realized was their destination. "Don't make a scene. We wouldn't want the party guests hearing, now would we?"

"Yes," Dawn said, trying to pull her arms from their grasps.

"Now, be a good girl and let us fix you," Persephone said. She opened the door and shoved Dawn in.

"You shouldn't fix what isn't broken!" Dawn shouted desperately, but Aphrodite and Persephone were both inside the room by then, and they shut the door with a quiet click of doom.

You had to hand it to those goddesses, they worked fast. Dawn had only been in the room for an hour and they already had her bathed and in her dress, which was a very light blue. "It matches your eyes!" Aphrodite had said. They were putting the finishing touches on her hair, most of which was piled in a great mound on top of her head. The two goddess were just fixing several corkscrew curls they left hanging down when there was a knock on the door.

"Aphrodite!," a loud, female voice shouted. "You've kidnapped Dawn, haven't you? Let me in!"

Dawn breathed a sigh of relief. It was Artemis, one of her very best friends. "Get me out of here!" she yelled. Persephone shushed her.

"I'm coming in whether you like it or not!" Artemis said, and the door burst open to reveal the virgin goddess of the hunt. She looked like an upright member of society in her beautiful dress. Dawn stared.

"What did they do to you?" both girls asked each other. Then they looked between each other and Aphrodite and Persephone. They laughed and walked out together, Dawn almost forgetting to grab her painting on the way out.

"You're aren't done yet!" Aphrodite called. The other goddesses paid her no mind.

"You forgot your fan!" Persephone called. She too was ignored.

"I'm sorry I couldn't have saved you sooner," Artemis said.

Dawn shrugged. "It's fine. I don't think you could have stopped them anyway."

"Well, I should have tried. We virgins have to stick together," Artemis said. Originally, Artemis had been very angry at Dawn for still being a virgin. She said that more than one of those in a Parthenon would confuse their followers. Athena had fixed the situation by spreading rumors about Dawn's nightly activities, which Dawn was fine with. The Greeks were much more open about their 'nightly activities' than the English.

"Where's your brother?" Dawn asked, looking around.

"Here," said a deep voice behind her. She turned around to see Apollo, the sun personified, and another very good friend. "Hello. Are you still a bachelor?"

"Always and forever, my dear. Not even your beauty can sway me," Apollo grinned. They pretended to flirt all the time, but everyone knew that they viewed each other as siblings did. Despite how much some people, _coughcough_Aphrodite_coughcough, _might wish otherwise.

Dawn laughed. "Honestly, I think I can do better." She squealed as Apollo poked her in the side. "Hey!"

Apollo just laughed. "You're just so much fun, Dawn."

Artemis put her arm around Dawn's shoulders. "Are you staying with us this time, Dawn? It really is quite beautiful here."

"Yes, it is," Dawn said, avoiding the question.

They saw right through it. "That isn't an answer, Dawn," Apollo pointed out.

"Dawn?" a sandy-haired figure appeared at the end of the hall, saving her just in time.

"Here Hermes!" Dawn said, waving him over.

"Finally," he didn't even notice her new outfit. "Got that picture? Good, lets go." He grabbed her wrist and dragged her through another hall, down a set of stairs and pushed her into another room.

There was a long table in this one, with chairs set around it. A dining room then. At the moment the only people in it were Dawn and a man.

This man was tall and muscular. His hair and beard were gray and he oozed power. It was Zeus.

Dawn curtsied, managing not to fall in Aphrodite's terrible shoes. "God King," she said, greeting him formally.

"Dawn," he said in reply. His greeting was rather informal compared to hers by design. "Have a seat."

Dawn would have preferred to remain standing. She sat and placed the painting on the table in front of her. Zeus looked at it with a mixture of delight and despair. "Did it give you much trouble?" he asked.

"Yes," Dawn replied. "I had to change several details before it would settle down."

Zeus appeared both relieved and disappointed. "Bring it to me," he said. Dawn got up and brought the painting to him. She went and sat back at the end of the table, watching him carefully unwrap the picture. He gasped as he saw it. "Dawn," he murmured. "This is surely your masterpiece."

Of course he would feel that way. Mt. Olympus his home. To Dawn, this was just another painting. It wasn't any better or worse than the rest of them. The subject matter was just a bit more breath-taking. She smiled slightly. "It's not _quite_ a masterpiece."

Zeus paid her no mind. He was still examining the painting. Dawn waited patiently, wanting to see if she would get paid for this. It was Zeus's decision.

He set the canvas down. "I'll have it framed immediately. In the meantime, I must ask you, would you consider living on Port Royal? It worries me, having you so far away, Dawn. Should anything happen, we wouldn't be able to help you in time."

Dawn shook her head. "I must decline your generous offer, Zeus. I like my situation. How goes the hunt for the object?" They both knew what Dawn was talking about. The Centre of the Earth. What else? But no god ever spoke of it out loud, in case someone was listening who shouldn't be.

Zeus frowned. "Ares is no closer to finding it than he was the last time you asked, Dawn. I'm sorry."

"Would you consider allowing me to search for it as well?"

Zeus shook his head. "Again, my answer is the same as the last time you asked. You have done more than enough for us, Dawn. All we want is you to be safe."

_Freedom is more important_, Dawn thought, but she didn't dare say so out loud.

"If you will not live here, would you at least stay for eight weeks? I would like you to help us all get settled in here. There are quite a few places here that could use something to lighten up the room. Your art would be most welcome."

Dawn knew that during the whole eight weeks, they'd be cooking up ways to get her to stay. But she couldn't leave right away. Her friends, Apollo and Artemis especially, would be hurt by it. Dawn nodded. "Yes, I'll stay for that long, to help."

Zeus beamed. "Splendid! Now, you must join the party downstairs. Everyone will be ecstatic that you've decided to stay."

Dawn scowled. Zeus made it sound as if she was staying for good. She got up and bowed. "Good day, sir."

"Yes," Zeus said, "Go join the party." Zeus always needed to have the last word.

She walked out of the dining room scowling. She was definitely _not_ getting paid.


	3. Chapter 3

I do not own Pirates of the Caribbean

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><p>Dawn stalked out of the dining room, not at all impressed with herself. She knew he'd been going to press her to stay and what did she do? She caved in. Damn him for using her friends against her. Damn her for letting him.<p>

She noticed a tall woman with honey colored hair eyeing her warily. "Hello Dawn," Hera said carefully.

Dawn smiled as sincerely as she could. "It's not me, Hera, I swear." The goddess eyed her for a moment then sighed, leaning against the wall.

"I suppose I should have already known that he wasn't cheating on me with _you_," Hera rubbed her forehead. "But there is always someone, even in this tightly laced century…Goodness, some things never change."

"No," Dawn said, walking toward where she'd seen the party goers, "No they don't." Dawn hoped beyond hope that their imprisonment would not be one of those things. She would pray, but to whom?

Sometimes she envied mortals so.

Dawn arrived and stood by the dance floor, making an appearance but not participating. "My dear," a deep voice said behind her, "You look pale."

Dawn was not amused. Of course she looked pale. She always looked the same. "Very funny, Hades," Dawn said, not turning. Dawn did not like Hades, but she respected him.

He handed her a drink and she took it, but did not drink. She had never liked alcohol. "So, what's the news?" Hades was probably the only person here who would tell the truth, not just Zeus's version of it. And Poseidon, of course, but Dawn had not seen him.

That did not surprise her. Even if he got dressed up, Poseidon's Seeming would still look very much like a pirate. He was not very acceptable in this society.

"Poseidon has gone missing," Hades said, as if he had read her thoughts, and he might have. "He has gone against Zeus's will and went to look for the object himself. He went out to sea a few years ago and hasn't come back."

"Did he have any clues? Any information that would make such a journey more than desperate?" Dawn asked, hopeful.

Hades shook his head. "I do not know. If he did, he would not share them with me or with anyone else. He keeps things close to the vest these days."

"Yes-" Dawn said, but was interrupted by a boom in the distance. "What's that noise?"

Hades frowned and listened closely. His eyes widened. "Cannon fire."

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><p>Reminder: This story has been posted here because it is a dead fic or being heavily revised.<p> 


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